My Quilts at the IQA Show in Houston

Cyndi Slothower took this photo of my quilts at the IQA Show in Houston this year.  She was attending the Trade Show before the main show which begins Wednesday.  I have tickets for a flight there tomorrow and have my fingers crossed that it won't be cancelled.

Museum Quilt Guild Part 2

Jackets by Marsha Lorshbaugh and Kathy Everett.  The mola is one I brought back from Panama.

 Check out the tiny seminole patchwork on Kathy's jacket.

 How could I resist this jungle quilt?

 This bunny rabbit version of the baltimore quilt was too  adorable.

Mary Kozub made this great quilt picturing her son.

An iinteresting quilt of window curtains by Irene Bow

Museum Guild Quilt Show Batavia, Part 1

Last weekend I vended at the great Museum Quilt Guild Show...in Alexandria this year...an excellent new location.  This beauty was on the wall facing my booth.

Sunbonnet Sue quilts make me smile.  I don't want to make one and probably don't want one but just love to look at them.

These two beauties were made by Nancy Bush

Kathy Everett, who looks great in anything, decided to wear one of my purse necklaces.

She liked it so much she decided that two was better.

This quilt won Best Use of Color. 

I don't particularly like spiders but loved this quilt by Marsha Lorshbaugh.

Fashion Show and Class for the Yorkshire Rose Quilt Guild, Toronto, Canada

 Last week I was honored to be invited to present a Fashion Show of my garments and a two day Seminole Patchwork/Jacket Class for the wonderful Yorkshire Rose Quilt Guild in Toronto Canada.

 The meetings and classes are held in the beautiful basement of the local Mennonite Church.  Lots of light and design walls and even a complete kitchen!  Lots of fun and conversation  and too much good food.

 By day two jackets and vests were beginning to emerge, all with Seminole Patchwork from Day 1's class.

 Some students opted to use the Butterfly Jacket Pattern.

 A beautiful, subtle fall colorway.

 This will be a Kimono Jacket with lots of color.

 Suzanne Neilson sent me photos of her completed vest.  Click on the pictures for a closer look at her spectacular Seminole Patchwork

She incorporated one of my molas on the back of the vest.  What a terrific job.  Thanks for the photos Suzanne!

Back in Quito the Trip Ends

 Back in Quito we checked into a lovely small hotel in New Town

 On Sunday some of the main streets in Old and New Town are closed to traffic and open for bicyclists

 One of my favorite high end shops was just around the corner from the hotel.  I loved a series of rugs like the colorful one in the corner.  Unfortunately they started at around $800.

 I purchased a few tagua nut bracelets which are called vegetable ivory and come from palm trees.  They are hardened for a year before being cut into jewelry.

This was the craft market in downtown Quito.  Shopping was hugely disappointing.  Prices were way up and quality was way down.  Many shops had disappeared and many crafts were either not around, too high priced or very poor quality.  I returned home with an empty suitcase.

 A family band in downtown Quito

 Bicycles for rent.  Similar to systems in American cities.  I didn't see anyone on bicycles except on Sunday.

 A view of the mountains from downtown.

 One of the main restaurant areas near our hotel

A beautiful house in New Town now turned into a restaurant.The main city of Quito was Old Town until WWII.  After the war it spread to the suburbs of New Town.  Now New Town is being turned into shops and businesses and the suburbs are sprawling out still further into the hills around Quito.

Kayaking Around the Lagoon in the Jungle

 The second afternoon Elizabeth and I went for a ride around the lagoon in a 2 person kayak.

 The lagoon is full of pirhana

 And birds which didn't want to pose for photos

 I was on the lookout for leaves for a possible new quilt design

 The lagoon also was home to their version of crocodiles which we watched out for as well.

Later Elizabeth decided to take another short swing around in a dugout canoe.

Visiting the Butterfly Farm in the Jungle

 The lodge has it's own butterfly farm about a quarter of a mile behind the lodge.  We made a visit and saw how they were raising butterflies.  Aren't these beautiful cocoons.

 Some of the butterflies inside the screened butterfly house.

 The view of the main lodge from our porch . 

I was too ill to go on the trip to see the parrots so one of the workers brought me a baby bird to look at on our porch.

What Did We Eat in the Jungle?...Gourmet Food

 Our food was prepared by a French chef and served by a waiter.  Beautiful dishes and silverware and goblets.  Freshly squeezed juices in interesting combinations at every meal.  This was a tomato appetizer.  Unfortunately I contracted an intestional virus in Quito which lasted for 3 days and I didn't feel like eating very much. 

Getting fresh food to the hotel was an elaborate process.  Once a week the chef emailed a contact in Quito with a list of food required for the upcoming week as well as all the paper and cleaning goods needed.  The contact then made the purchases and stored the perishables in special containers.  Then a truck drove the supplies overnight on the 10 hour drive from Quito to Coca over the mountainous roads.  The goods were then transferred to the motorized canoe for the three hour ride to the Island dock.  Then they were hauled overland over the corduroy road.  And finally brought by a paddled canoe to the hotel.  The kitchen was equipped with numerous freezers and refrigerators.  The hotel electricity ran on generators.

 The second course was a sort of meat loaf with a cheese and pimento filling.

 Followed by fish and quinoa.

And cheesecake for dessert.